Chapter 36 Irene
IRENE
Then go on. I’m right here. Do it.
Masika’s words echoed in Irene’s mind, seared into her memory. Would she have been able to go through with it? Would she even have had another choice?
When Irene spotted Masika in the forest, it had felt like her entire world had jerked to a halt.
She’d spent the past few weeks preparing for her friend’s demise, convincing herself that she was better off without Masika, that Masika’s destruction had always been an inevitability, but all that forced acceptance had gone out the window the moment Irene had laid eyes on Masika again.
Irene had felt it instantly, smacking hard against her chest, unwilling to be ignored.
Relief.
But a tidal wave of other emotions, just as determined to be felt, had risen to the surface.
Because Masika’s presence didn’t change anything.
It didn’t change the fact that Irene had vowed her allegiance to the Demien Order.
That she was meant to play the part of the Ascended to help Mateo secure the defensive ward coin.
And, more importantly, it didn’t change what Irene wanted.
The promise of power was too intoxicating, too seductive, for Irene to give it up.
And she didn’t want to give it up. But maybe there was a way to meet in the middle.
A way to ensure Masika’s safety while still following through with the Order’s plan.
It was Silas, after all, who demanded Masika’s destruction.
Who needed her soul to be sacrificed. Maybe if Irene spoke with Mateo, he’d be willing to spare her.
Masika wasn’t technically a Blackwood student anymore, so maybe she didn’t have to be destroyed when they wiped the slate clean.
Especially if they could convince Masika to join their side.
Irene clung to this minuscule sliver of hope as she strode into the dungeons.
The damp air of the underground torture chamber filled her lungs, rot and decay overwhelming her senses.
She ignored the sound of nails scraping against concrete.
The muffled moans of agony that echoed in the shadows. She couldn’t stop their suffering.
There was only one soul in here she might stand a chance of helping.
Irene had expected to find Masika curled up on the floor of her cell, terror etched upon her amber eyes. But the girl on the other side of the bars hardly looked afraid. In fact, she looked ready for a fight.
Masika was standing, arms crossed, as if she’d been expecting Irene’s arrival.
“Come to finish the job?”
“Of all the places you could have gone…” Irene muttered with a sigh. “Why here?”
Masika’s response was as blunt and vague as Irene had been expecting. “Because we had to.”
Irene stepped closer. “And I don’t suppose you plan on telling me what exactly you were doing out there?”
Masika smirked. “What do you think?”
Irene drummed her index finger against her bicep. “Well…” She let out a small puff of air. “I guess it doesn’t matter, does it? You’re trapped. You’re going to tell us what you know whether you want to or not.”
Masika laced her fingers around the iron bars of the cell, leaning in closer. “Is that a threat?”
Irene shrugged. “It’s a fact.”
A thick hush fell upon them. In the distance, another soul let out a broken cry, though neither of them glanced away. It was as if they had entered a silent battle, eyes locked in an unspoken duel.
Masika pressed her forehead against the bars. A rivulet of dark hair fell over her eyes. “Do you think we could have been sisters in another life?”
Irene flinched. Despite the delicate whisper of her voice, Masika’s words made a harsh and grating sound against the impenetrable silence of the dungeons, lacerating Irene’s chest.
“What the hell kind of a question is that?” Irene sputtered.
Masika smirked. “Indulge me.”
Irene crossed her arms, as if they might protect her from the sting of Masika’s words. “What for?”
“Irene,” Masika pressed. “Just answer the question.”
Masika spoke her name with threaded disappointment, like that of a mother chastising her unruly child. Anger flared inside Irene, with a hint of something worse, something bitter and embarrassingly close to shame.
“All right. Fine.” Irene scoffed. She paced back and forth, fingers tapping against her arms. “I’ll play along.
Let’s say the answer is yes. That we could have been sisters.
Then what? You think things would have ended differently for us?
That I wouldn’t have walked away from you during the third trial?
That I wouldn’t have made the decision to leave you behind?
” Irene’s voice rose with every word, trembling with frustration.
“I’m still me, Masika. Selfish to my fucking core. ”
Masika let out a snort of laughter, and Irene flinched, genuinely startled by the sound.
“Oh, spare me the self-indulgent victim complex,” Masika chided, which only fueled the ire building in Irene’s chest. “You’re so much more than that and you know it.
You are…you are strong. And loyal. Like a terrifying, bloodthirsty golden retriever.
You pretend to be selfish, but you’re far from it. ”
Irene balked. How could Masika truly believe that? How could she be so blind to the festering darkness inside Irene?
Irene stopped her pacing, turning back to face the cell.
She stepped closer, though she kept her distance, careful not to get close enough that Masika might reach through the iron bars and grab her.
Despite whatever of their friendship remained, Masika was still a prisoner, and Irene was still her captor.
If it had been Irene behind those bars, she wouldn’t have hesitated to strike.
Masika cocked her head. “What is it?”
Irene swallowed. “I left you.”
Something flickered beneath the amber gleam of Masika’s irises, a fleeting moment of bitterness.
Good, Irene thought. Hate me. But then the bitterness melted away, blotted out by the familiar look of benevolence that made Irene’s skin crawl.
Because how could Masika possibly look at her that way after everything Irene had done?
How could Irene deserve anything less than pure and unfiltered hatred?
Masika gripped the iron bars tightly, eyes locked on Irene’s. “You won’t hurt me.”
Dread settled over Irene upon hearing the certainty in Masika’s voice.
“You don’t know what I’m capable of.”
“Yes,” Masika whispered, a startling conviction blazing in her voice. “I do. And despite that…you are still my friend.”
Irene staggered backward. She clenched her hands into fists, chest heaving as her breaths came quick and ragged.
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” Masika gripped the bars even tighter. “Care? Come on, Irene, would it truly kill you to know that you matter to someone?”
Irene shook her head, distancing herself even further.
She wouldn’t entertain this. She couldn’t.
Not unless she could guarantee Masika’s loyalty, somehow convince her to join the Order.
But there was no telling how much time they had left.
If Irene wanted to try to explain things to Masika, she’d have to act fast…
and she’d have to compromise her mission.
Screw it.
Irene extended her arm, constructing a sound barrier around her and the cell. Masika looked on, confusion riddling her features, as the pale blue shield sprouted around them, a sphere of hazy light igniting the air.
“What are you—” But Masika’s voice was drowned out as Irene interrupted her, the words tumbling out in a frenzied panic.
“I need you to hear me out before you say no,” Irene began, gripping the iron bars of the cage.
Masika’s eyes darted to Irene’s hands for a brief moment before flitting back up toward her face.
“I know you think I’ve betrayed you by joining the Ascended.
That I was willing to sacrifice you—all of you—for this. But I didn’t.”
Masika shook her head. “I don’t understand—”
“During the Decennial, I was approached by a Demien.” As soon as the words left Irene’s lips, she saw the glimmer of panic flare behind Masika’s eyes, but Irene continued, determined to make her understand.
“He wanted me to join him so that I could help him infiltrate Blackwood from the inside. I became an Ascended to go undercover. To learn how to weaken Blackwood’s defenses and help the Demien Order take Silas down. ”
An indecipherable emotion washed over Masika’s face. “Why are you telling me this?”
Irene dipped her voice down lower, a pleading strain wavering her words. “You could join us.”
Masika shut her eyes, grimacing. “Christ, Irene—”
“He could help you,” Irene cut in. She was practically begging, she knew that, but that wouldn’t stop her from trying.
Not when this might be the last opportunity she had left to save her friend.
“I know you hate the Demien Order—I know you think they’re all evil and soulless—but they have their reasons.
And the Demien I’m working with could spare you from being sacrificed.
He could find a way to save you, and the others, but you need to pledge your allegiance to the Order—”
“I don’t want to be a fucking Demien!” Masika bellowed without warning, the venom in her voice startling Irene into silence.
“Don’t you understand what they intend to do when they quote-unquote wipe the slate clean?
It’s not just Silas they intend to destroy—it’s every single student. Every innocent soul.”
“But—” Irene grimaced, pushing away her own rising doubt.
Whether or not she would ever admit it out loud, the price the Order was willing to pay for justice had always left a sour taste in her mouth.
But it didn’t change the fact that Blackwood needed to burn for its transgressions.
“It’s for a greater good. The afterlife is suffering because of what Silas has done.
The only way that corruption can be cleansed is if we rip it out at the root. ”